Maths Teacher Jobs

Maths Teacher Job Profile

Thinking of carving out a career as a secondary school maths teacher?

Becoming a teacher maths teacher allows you to teach and engage with pupils about the subject that you’re passionate about – passing on your maths knowledge to the next generation of young minds. They’ll learn about ratios, probability, geometry, algebraic expressions, equations and formulas and in a broader context, how to solve problems and reason mathematically.

A maths teacher role involves supporting, observing and recording the progress that pupils in education make aged between 11-18 years of age. You’ll create lessons that are in line with objectives within the national curriculum, with the aim of ensuring a healthy atmosphere of learning.

As a secondary school maths teacher, you’ll need to stay on top of the latest developments, develop fresh resources; keep up-to-date with new teaching methods and any national objectives.

The maths teacher role includes networking and building professional relationships with other esteemed education experts (such as learning mentors, careers advisers, psychologists and welfare officers) and having meetings or a catch-up with parents/guardians both formally and on an informal basis.

Maths Teacher Responsibilities

What will be your responsibilities?

As a secondary maths teacher you’ll put together maths lessons and deliver them to a range of ages and abilities. You’ll be marking the work and providing constructive feedback. Pupils’ progress and development will be recorded overtime.

Selecting a variety of learning resources is important (such as using podcasts, videos and interactive whiteboards) to effectively engage students with different topics.

Pupils will inevitably have to do exams. It’s your job to prepare them for mock tests and external examinations in order for them to achieve their grades and qualifications.

They’ll be different ages, abilities, personalities that will all be learning this core subject, maths. Some will take to it like a duck to water, whilst others may take some time to get to grips with certain things. A maths teacher must be able to manage classroom behaviour and take both appropriate and effective action in dealing with any misbehaviour.

Pastoral duties could form part of your responsibilities – you may take on the role of a form tutor, or perhaps provide one to one support to pupils experiencing academic or personal difficulties

When it’s time for Parents’ Evening, you’ll need to talk with parents or guardians about how their child is preforming in the classroom. Explaining both their strengths and also areas where they can improve.

They’ll most likely be departmental meetings, training events, ongoing CPD to attend as well as school sports days’; possible extracurricular activities or outings.

How much could you earn as a maths teacher?

As an NQT (Newly Qualified Teacher) your salary would start on the main pay range. This will rise gradually from £22,467 to £33,160 (£28,098 to £33,160 for inner London).

Teacher salaries on the main scale in Northern Ireland are slightly lower, ranging from £22,243 to £32,509. The salaries range from £22,194 to £35,409 in Scotland.

The amount that Maths supply teachers can earn depends on the amount of responsibility that they take on. It does also vary from school to school and in different regional areas. Typically, Flourish Education pays secondary school maths teachers up to £200 per day.

Free schools and Academies can choose their own pay and working conditions. They may be very similar to what local authority schools are offering; however, they may also vary substantially.

Teaching Qualifications & Funding

What qualifications are needed?

Routes into a career in teaching maths

School Direct

You could apply directly to a school, which means they can choose where they want to train. Trainees will learn on the job and will be a member of the teaching team from day one.

Length: one year

Entry: Undergraduate degree

Funding: salaried and non-salaried.

PGCE

Complete a Postgraduate Certificate in Education - 24 weeks are spent on placement – normally at a wide variety of schools – while 12 weeks are spent at university.

Length: one year

Entry: Undergraduate degree

Funding: PGCE students will pay fees of up to £9,000.

Undergraduate degree

Most undergraduate degrees in teaching are in primary education. Trainees spend just under 50% of their time out on placements in schools.If you already have a degree, you’ll need to complete a postgraduate teacher training course. This will lead to qualified teacher status (QTS) in England.

Length: 3 or 4 years

Entry: Min of 2 A-levels

Funding: PGCE students will pay fees of up to £9,000.

SCITT

School-centred initial teacher training: The training course is practical, hands-on and delivered by current teachers based at their school. Most will also offer a PGCE.

Length: 3 or 4 years

Entry: Undergraduate degree

Funding: PGCE students will pay fees of up to £9,000.

Teach First

Recruits high-achieving graduates to teach in challenging schools where more than 50% of pupils are from low-income backgrounds. 6 weeks of intensive training before spending 2 years at a school and completing a PGCE.

Maths Teacher Skills

Maths is an interconnected subject and having strong maths subject knowledge is obviously really important so it’s best to evaluate any weaker areas and fill in any gaps.

You should demonstrate your passion for maths and how it relates to everyday life. Teaching a subject that you enjoy and helping your pupils to find enjoyment in it too, can be enormously satisfying – secondary school teachers can have a big effect on a pupil's life.

As a maths teacher you’ll need to have the ability explain maths principles, with clarity, to pupils who have a mixture of experiences and abilities– breaking down a topic in an understandable way is a vital.

You’ll need to have excellent communication skills (for working with children, teachers and parents) a caring attitude and an understanding of the needs and feelings for children.

Good listening skills and being organised is obviously a must, coupled with the ability to inspire and enthuse children about learning maths. Showcasing creativity in the classroom and bringing a sense of humour are also brownie points.

Who are your employers?

The majority of secondary school maths teachers do work in local education authority (LEA) schools. Most of these schools follow the national curriculum.

Academy schools are by a governing body. They’re independent from a local council and they have the power to follow a different curriculum and can and can set their own term times.

If you work in a grammar school, they’ll select a large majority of their pupils on academic ability so pupils usually have to pass an exam to enrol.

Instead of being funded by the government, private schools or ‘independent schools’ will charge fees to attend. Pupils at these schools don’t have to follow the national curriculum but they must be registered with the government and they’re inspected on a regular basis.

Some secondary maths teachers decide to register with an agency like Flourish Education and try supply work. Supply teaching work offers flexibility, which suits some people. Although it is less stable than a permanent contract supply teaching can lead to long-term and permanent work within a school.